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7. 2000: Gladiator Upsets Three Better Movies

If Million Dollar Baby and Return of the King are examples of strong movies beating a weak field, Gladiator is our first clear example of the opposite. In a year where Traffic, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, and, yes, even Erin Brockovich, are nominated, the win for Gladiator is mind boggling. Many thought that in February Ridley Scott would win the Oscar he lost that year to Steven Soderbergh, a double nominee himself in the 2000 race. It was not to be this year, nor was it to be that year.

The year was so crazy that three movies split the three main guild awards - Gladiator took home the PGA, Ang Lee the DGA, and Traffic the SAG. In any case, other nominees could have included Almost Famous, City of God, and Requiem for a Dream. Whoa.

By the way, the fifth nominee that year was Chocolat. Let’s acknowledge that quietly and move on without comment.

Directors everywhere are just waiting and hoping that Ang Lee doesn’t wreak havoc on the Oscars again. More seriously, it’s funny that three middle of the pack years are years where there was a Best Picture/Best Director split. It signals a certain level of strength in the year, along with a desire by the Academy to spread the wealth a bit.

6. 2014: Birdman Triumphs Over Strong Contenders

Last year’s Oscar slate is, in my opinion, definitely one of the strongest as a Best Picture slate lineup - it’s a pretty good spot to land for such a recent ceremony. Famously, Birdman came from behind and defeated Boyhood. The lineup also had The Grand Budapest Hotel, the revelatory Whiplash, the important Selma, a controversial American Sniper, along with two more conventional biopic melodramas The Theory of Everything and The Imitation Game. The last two have become a sort of rote paint-by-numbers style that the Academy can’t help but return to year in and year out, but the other six show remarkable depth.

Even the controversial Sniper shows gumption in its nuanced perspective, while the inclusion and ultimate praise of the comedic Grand Budapest was a breath of fresh air. Whiplash, meanwhile, came out of nowhere and became a darling, while Birdman itself, not necessarily the strongest Best Picture winner in history, told an important story of the current state of the entertainment industry at odds with itself.

This year is also the only one since the Best Picture expansion occurred that each nominated movie received at least one Academy Award, a definitive show of strength. And, finally, you had some ridiculous snubs for Best Picture, from my two favorites of the year - Interstellar and Gone Girl - to the No Country-esque Nightcrawler and Foxcatcher. Indeed, these snubs arguably keep the year lower on the list than it otherwise would have been.

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